CVE-2024-53196

Medium

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: KVM: arm64: Don't retire aborted MMIO instruction Returning an abort to the guest for an unsupported MMIO access is a documented feature of the KVM UAPI. Nevertheless, it's clear that this plumbing has seen limited testing, since userspace can trivially cause a WARN in the MMIO return: WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 30558 at arch/arm64/include/asm/kvm_emulate.h:536 kvm_handle_mmio_return+0x46c/0x5c4 arch/arm64/include/asm/kvm_emulate.h:536 Call trace: kvm_handle_mmio_return+0x46c/0x5c4 arch/arm64/include/asm/kvm_emulate.h:536 kvm_arch_vcpu_ioctl_run+0x98/0x15b4 arch/arm64/kvm/arm.c:1133 kvm_vcpu_ioctl+0x75c/0xa78 virt/kvm/kvm_main.c:4487 __do_sys_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:51 [inline] __se_sys_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:893 [inline] __arm64_sys_ioctl+0x14c/0x1c8 fs/ioctl.c:893 __invoke_syscall arch/arm64/kernel/syscall.c:35 [inline] invoke_syscall+0x98/0x2b8 arch/arm64/kernel/syscall.c:49 el0_svc_common+0x1e0/0x23c arch/arm64/kernel/syscall.c:132 do_el0_svc+0x48/0x58 arch/arm64/kernel/syscall.c:151 el0_svc+0x38/0x68 arch/arm64/kernel/entry-common.c:712 el0t_64_sync_handler+0x90/0xfc arch/arm64/kernel/entry-common.c:730 el0t_64_sync+0x190/0x194 arch/arm64/kernel/entry.S:598 The splat is complaining that KVM is advancing PC while an exception is pending, i.e. that KVM is retiring the MMIO instruction despite a pending synchronous external abort. Womp womp. Fix the glaring UAPI bug by skipping over all the MMIO emulation in case there is a pending synchronous exception. Note that while userspace is capable of pending an asynchronous exception (SError, IRQ, or FIQ), it is still safe to retire the MMIO instruction in this case as (1) they are by definition asynchronous, and (2) KVM relies on hardware support for pending/delivering these exceptions instead of the software state machine for advancing PC.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2024-12-27
Last modified 2025-11-03
CVSS version 3.1
Patch available
Yes

CVSS 3.1 score

5.5

out of 10
Medium
Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
None
Availability
High
Vector string
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 5.5 and later are affected. Fixed in 6.1.120, 6.6.66, 6.11.11, 6.12.2, 6.13 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 5.5
Fixed in
✓ 6.1.120 6.1.x ✓ 6.6.66 6.6.x ✓ 6.11.11 6.11.x ✓ 6.12.2 6.12.x ✓ 6.13

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2024-53196 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2024-53196?

    CVE-2024-53196 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10 . It affects Linux kernel versions from 5.5 onward and has been patched in 6.1.120, 6.6.66, 6.11.11 and others. CVE-2024-53196 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • What is the CVSS score for CVE-2024-53196?

    CVE-2024-53196 has a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10, rated Medium severity (CVSS 3.1). The vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H .

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2024-53196?

    Yes — CVE-2024-53196 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.1.120, 6.6.66, 6.11.11 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 5.5 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2024-53196 actively exploited?

    No — CVE-2024-53196 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.